Four-and-a-Half Months’ Stay in New Harmony
Description of the region – Natural history – Messrs. Say, Lesueur, and Owen – Hunting excursions in Indiana and Illinois – Wabash, Fox River – Illinois prairies – Albion – Black River – Mr. Bodmer’s trip to New Orleans
December 9, 1832
In the morning, overcast sky, calm, cool weather. At seven thirty, 2°R [36.5°F, 2.5°C]. Although his foot is still bad, Dreidoppel rode to Mount Vernon on the Ohio today to buy some cotton and blotting paper (wrapping paper), which we cannot obtain here anywhere. Mr. Say visited us, and we agreed to go for a walk this afternoon, since there was beautiful sunshine at that hour. At twelve o’clock noon, temperature of 5°R [43.3°F, 6.3°C]. Afternoon walk with Mr. Say. We went over the hills toward Mount Vernon and returned along the Cutoff River. We saw very few birds: nothing other than Sitta carolinensis and Picus carolinus, as well as Fringilla hudsonia.
When we came to the river, I saw four ducks on a tree in the water and shot at them with lead that was too light for the distance, whereupon a whole flock flew up. A dog, which had come with me, flushed from the hill beside us two wild turkeys, which very proudly streaked over our heads to the other side of the river. In flight they stretch out their necks and then rapidly fly away. One of them alighted on the topmost branch of a very tall tree in the forest; had I been able to cross the water, I would have shot at it with my rifle. Russel, the hunter, had brought in a nice wild turkey; he had sold two or three others in town. At about six o’clock, Dreidoppel returned from Mount Vernon. There he had seen the hide of a moderately large bear, which had been killed there while swimming in the Ohio. While riding through the forest on the way there, he had seen a small deer. The evening [was spent] at the home of Mr. Say.